How to Choose anti-allergy Pillows & Duvets

There is now a bewildering array of pillows and duvets on the market that claim to be "hypoallergenic" or "anti-allergy." For anyone with an allergic condition, making the wrong choice is not only an expensive mistake but could be a serious health risk.

Pillows filled with latex chips or synthetics such as polyether foam or polyester hollofibre clusters are not recommended for anyone allergic to latex or who is sensitive to chemical based materials. Polyester covers should be avoided too. Synthetic fabrics and fillings are generally too hot for anyone with eczema, so natural fillings for pillows and duvets such as cotton, silk or feather-and-down are a cooler choice, particularly when they have a pure cotton cover.

House dustmite allergen is one of the most common triggers for asthma, eczema and rhinitis. Dustmites thrive in dark, humid areas where there is a ready food supply of dead skin scales, so pillows and duvets are an ideal environment in which they thrive.

The allergen is found within the dustmite's droppings, so killing dustmites is only half the battle. The aim is to denature and eliminate the allergen as well as the dustmite.

Recent studies at St George's Hospital, London and elsewhere have shown that synthetic pillows harbour more house dustmites than those filled with traditional feather and down but whichever filling is used, the dustmites can be killed and their allergen denatured and destroyed when bedding is washed at temperatures of 60°C and above. It is essential, therefore, that any pillows and duvets you buy can endure repeated washing at this temperature or higher.

If washed frequently (at least once every three months and preferably monthly) at a high temperature, all pillows and duvets can be kept free of dustmites and their allergenic droppings.

Choices

Unfortunately pillows and duvets filled with pure wool, 100%silk or other natural fillings such as cashmere, camelhair or pure goosedown cannot be washed at 60°C, if at all. Although they can be dry-cleaned, which kills the mites and removes some of the allergen, the amount is variable (20-70%). Dry- cleaning is also an unsuitable process for anyone sensitive to chemicals.

Many pillows and duvets filled with synthetic clusters are washable but most are restricted to a 40°C wash and low temperature drying programme, which means the dustmites and their allergen will not ne removed.

Synthetic: We were pleased to find the Spundown brand of fibre-filled pillows and duvets that compress well into a domestic washing machine and can be washed at 60°C and recommend them if you can tolerate synthetics. The Naturelle synthetic-fill pillow from Medivac can also be washed at 60°C and has the added benefit of a pure unbleached dustmite-proof Egyptian cotton cover. The Naturelle is also available free of VAT if you have asthma, eczema, rhinitis or dust allergy.
 

Natural: We are very impressed with the FeatherFresh boil-washable natural feather & down pillows and duvets. Because they were created for hospital use they can be sterilised by washing at up to 90°c (200°F) and are as hypoallergenic as any other filling. Don't be put off by so-called "feather allergy". Remember that your allergic reaction is to the house dustmite allergen that is present in any unwashed pillow or duvet no matter what it is filled with.

The Silk Wash Super duvet is also a completely natural duvet with Eco-Tex certification. Like the FeatherFresh pillow and duvet it can be boil-washed and is a good choice for eczema sufferers and those with MCS.

Our recommended Duvets/Comforters:

• FeatherFresh 12.5tog boilable goose/duck feather/down duvet
• Silk Wash Super lightweight boilable silk-&-cotton duvet
• Spundown Home-Washable Duvets

Our recommended Pillows:

• FeatherFresh boilable duck feather & down pillows
• Naturelle hot-washable polyester-fill with dustmite-proof cotton cover
• Spundown Home-washable polyester-fill pillows

FeatherFresh pillows and duvets from Medivac are wonderfully comfortable. They offer a naturally luxurious feather and down filling in a dustmite proof cotton casing. Both pillows and duvets can be boil washed and dried time & time again and will remain hypoallergenic without loss of comfort or loft.

They have been fully tested at the Medical Entomology Centre at the University of Cambridge and by the British Textile Technology Group Laboratories in Manchester.
The duvets were used in clinical trials during the Child Health Asthma Prevention Study at the University of Southampton and both pillows and duvets carry the Eco-Tex guarantee of textile purity, so no harmful chemicals or chlorine bleaches have been used in their manufacture.

The pillows have double stitched seams and are filled with a carefully balanced mix of goose/duck feather and down. The duvets are sewn with box construction for even distribution of their pure duck feather and down filling and can be washed in a large capacity washing machine.

Highly recommended and available VAT-free for anyone with asthma, eczema, rhinitis, dustmite and feather allergies.
Ideal for non-allergics too who want to sleep soundly and safely in clean comfortable bedding.

Silk Wash Super duvets from The Sounder Sleep Company offer a natural, cool alternative to hot synthetics.
These luxury duvets are chemical free, Eco-Tex certified and filled with 60% wild silk, 40% pure cotton. A low tog rating of 4.5 makes them ideal for warmer climates or hot itchy children. The cover is 100% dustmite proof cotton, contour-stitched to drape luxuriously over the body like a thick cool blanket.

Super-Wash Silk duvets can be washed at up to 90°C (200°F) in a non-biological detergent suitable for delicates to keep them free of allergens. Cool tumble or line dry.

Spundown Home-Washable duvets are made with a synthetic-fill that can be washed in a domestic washing machine at 60°C, tumble-dried and back on the bed the same day. There is also a useful Duo-duvet in the range which is two duvets ( 9tog and 4.5tog) that can be used alone or clipped together for colder nights.

Naturelle pillows from Medivac offer a popular combination of hollowfibre filling inside an unbleached, undyed, dustmite-proof cotton case. They are boil-washable and available VAT-free for allergy sufferers.

Click here to buy AllergyBestbuys' recommended Duvets/Comforters:

	Silk Wash Super lightweight boilable silk-&-cotton duvet
	FeatherFresh 12.5tog boilable goose/duck feather/down duvet
	Spundown Home-Washable Duvets

 

Click here to buy AllergyBestbuys' recommended Pillows:

	FeatherFresh boilable duck feather & down
	Spundown Home-washable Pillows
	Naturelle hot-washable polyester with dustmite-proof cotton cover

 

A final note – don’t use padded headboards. These are often overlooked when anti-allergen precautions are being taken with bedding, but the upholstery in fabric- covered headboards provides yet another prime environment for house dustmites. It is impossible to clean padded headboards thoroughly, although vacuuming using the tools provided with most modern machines will help. Wood, cane, iron, brass or even leather headboards are safer alternatives.